Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram - Chair, Commission on Publications
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr., Publisher
The Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, Editor
1. THE SEMINAR ON CHURCH GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT MET IN BIRMINGHAM:
Approximately 250 persons gathered in Birmingham, Alabama on January 17-20, 2006 for the 19th Annual Seminar on Church Growth and Evangelism. The Reverend Dr. James C. Wade is the Executive Director of the Department o f Church Growth and Development. The Right reverend Preston Warren Williams II is the Commission Chair. Preachers and laity attended the seminar and the folks gathered in worship room, in the vendors’ space, and in the hotel lobby. The Fish Market restaurant, not far from the hotel, was also a favorite gathering place.
The endorsed military, Veteran Affairs, and federal prison chaplains of the African Methodist Episcopal Church also met at the call of the Right Reverend E. Earl McCloud, Jr. Endorsing Agent and Ecumenical Officer of the AME Church. The Reverend Leotis Strong is the President of the AME Chaplains Association.
The opening worship service was spiritual and the ministers and laity from Georgia were in full force as they waited expectantly for their Episcopal leader to deliver the opening sermon. The praise team led the congregation in praise and thanksgiving as we sang, “We Loft Our Hands in the Sanctuary.” The Reverend Ronald Slaughter gave the invocation, the reverend T. Eric Nathan read the Old Testament lesson, and Chaplain Aimee Davis Miller read a selection from the New Testament. The Reverend Dr. Wesley Reid led the congregation in the reading of the Decalogue, after which “Rejoice,” the liturgical dance ministry from New Tyler AME Church lifted the worship experience to a high level with their interpretive dance ministry. The Reverend Carolyn Brailsford who provided special music throughout the seminar provided special music. She has a Spirit-filled voice and infectious presence.
The worship service was filled with warmth by the presence of Bishops, Philip R. Cousin, T. Larry Kirkland, Richard A. Chappelle, William Philips DeVeaux, DeVeaux, E. Earl McCloud, Zedekiah Grady, and Frank C. Cummings. Bishop Preston Warren Williams was not physically present because he recently had surgery and was unable to attend the Seminar. Though he was not physically at the seminar, Bishop Williams’ presence permeated the seminar. His presence was felt in all of the acknowledgements and particularly in the words on his behalf read by the Right Reverend Zedekiah Grady. Bishop Grady informed the seminar participants that Bishop Williams was doing nicely, wanted to be there, felt that he could have traveled there, but was obedient to his doctor who wants him to take it easy and to let the healing process “run its course.”
The following active and retired General Officers were present at the Seminar: Drs. Clement W. Fugh, Johnny Barbour, Jr., George F. Flowers, Jerome V. Harris, Daryl B. Ingram, James C. Wade, Jamye Coleman Williams, Robert H. Reid, Kenneth H. Hill, George L. Champion, Sr, and yours truly, Calvin H. Sydnor III. Connectional Officers were also present.
Bishop Grady’s Comments on behalf of Bishop Preston Warren Williams II
“To Senior Bishop Philip R. Cousin and to my ecclesiastical brothers and sisters, the bishops of the Church; to the Rt. Reverend Preston Warren Williams, Chair of the Department of Church Growth and Development, to the General Officers, and to the Connectional Officers, all presiding elders, pastors, and laypersons of the Church of Allen, I greet you in the Joy of Jesus Christ, for certainly, it is because of His goodness, His grace, and His mercy that we have the opportunity to gather once more as those committed to the mandate of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to “Go our into all of the world and preach the gospel, baptizing all nations…”
Bishop Williams asked me to fill in for him because he is under his doctor’s orders, not to travel. He is mending and asks that you pray for him.
We recognize hat even in 2006, there are still souls to be saved, there are still lives to change, there are folks who do not know how to live and treat their neighbors as they treat themselves.
We do have a tremendous opportunity today as we gather here in Birmingham, Alabama, a place of particular history, a special place in the life of our people, a place where, we, as a race organized against the tyranny of segregation and oppression, marched, and died for basic civil rights and the right to vote, and the birthplace of Rosa Parks, and the starting place of the ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
How fitting then, that we are able to gather here to be spiritually fed and to rededicate our lives as servant leaders. We will hear the word of God preached several times this week. We will be led in engaging workshops and will observe innovations in worship. We will do this simply to the glory of God.
It is our hope then, that we will leave this place and that we will be rejuvenated, regenerated and rededicated to the call that so many of us answered quite a while ago. Let us go from this place ready to tell all of our young people that they are fearfully and wonderfully made. Let us leave here ready to go into neighborhoods deemed unsafe know that those imprisoned by violence outside their doors still need to hear the world of God. Let us go from this place committed to helping some young man or young women get their lives back on track after being released from some correctional facility. Let us leave here knowing that we can help victims of domestic violence, let us leave here knowing that we can bring up children who know and live the Lord. Let us leave here know that we can educate those children. Let us leave Birmingham know that we can teach our congregations to tithe. Let us leave here knowing that we can get our folks to vote. Let us depart from this place with the faithfulness of Abraham, the brashness of Jacob, the dedication of Timothy, the zeal of Paul, and the courage and conviction of Richard Allen, Henry McNeil Turner, Daniel Payne and Paul Quinn. Let us leave here knowing that there is nothing too hard for God. ‘The work is all divine.’”
The right Reverend T. Larry Kirkland followed Bishop Grady’s comments.
Bishop T. Larry Kirkland’s Welcome to the Seminar attendees
“Greetings be to you in the name of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ.
Welcome to Birmingham, Alabama, Headquarters of the 9th Episcopal district of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and host city for the 2006 AME Conference on Church Growth and Evangelism.
You are indeed in a city that is both modern and historic. It is no accident that the city of Birmingham is known as “The Magic City,” for it contains some of the best of everything that you need to have a blessed and fulfilling experience during your stay here during this week of spiritual enhancement. -
Historically speaking, the state of Alabama is the cradle of the modern civil rights movement of the 20th century, where God moved to demonstrate that the power of love and nonviolent resistance to evil is greater than the power of hate.
It was here that Rosa Parks, a member of St. Paul AME Church in Montgomery stood up for America by sitting down on a segregated bus in a seat reserved for a white man.
It was in this very city a few blocks from here four little girls gave their lives during the bombing incident at 16th Street Baptist church.
It was here that midnight riders became so vicious with their attacks that one community became known as “Dynamite Hill” and the city itself became known as “Bombingham,” instead of Birmingham.
It was here that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr stood down Eugene “bull” Conner across the street at Kelly Ingram Park facing police dogs and fire hoses and later wrote his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” explaining why a ‘line had to be drawn in the sand’ and freedom demanded “now.”
My brothers and sisters, you have come to consecrated ground.
So, we welcome you to the home of former AME Church Treasurer, Dr. A. G. Gaston, the home of Nat King Cole, the home of Jessie Owens, the adopted home of Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Coretta Scott King, Ralph David Abernathy, the famous Tuskegee Airmen, baseball great, Willie Mays, the legendary ‘Brown Bomber’ of boxing Joe Louis, baseball great Hank Aaron and current Secretary of State for the United States, Condoleezza Rice.
We are proud to be in a city known for its formidable Black mayors, the legendary Richard Arrington and current Host mayor Bernard Kincaid.
This is an AME kind of place. It is our heritage to be on the vanguard of service to our people by meeting their needs spiritually and tangibly as stated in our mission statement. We are called “to serve the present age.”
You will find every attraction, amenity or service that you might possibly want or need somewhere within the city, ranging from: dining to entertainment, to sports, to healthcare at Birmingham’s world-class teaching and research hospitals. The AME Church’s Daniel Payne College campus, as well, has joined in partnership with Cooper Green Hospital to form the metro-center medical complex to serve the pre-natal and post-natal needs of black mothers in our community.
For those of you with shopping in mind, Birmingham has it. There are major malls on all ends of the city that can handle all of your shopping needs. The Riverchase Galleria Mall on south 1-65 and 1-459 is a city unto itself, complete with its own hotel in the center of the mall.
Five points south straight down 20th street (known as “Birmingham Green”) will make you think you are in the nation’s capitol at Georgetown with its fine restaurants, coffee houses boutiques and almost anything of that nature
You can imagine.
For the culturally minded, there are museums, art galleries, a planetarium, the southern research institute, the University of Alabama Birmingham complex (the state of
Alabama’s largest employer), and last but certainly not least is the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, which contains exhibits and video re-enactments of the famous events Memorializing the Alabama Civil Rights Movement. Welcome one and all.”
After the welcomes and all of the singing, the seminar attendees was ready for the Word of the Lord and what a mighty word! The Right Reverend William Phillips DeVeaux, Sr. preached a dynamic sermon entitled, “The Soul of and Evangelist.” He took his text from II Corinthians 4: 13-17. He shared with the congregation the need for evangelists to be courageous, be able to endure hardships and must know the power of the Resurrection and have a commitment to the call for ministry. Bishop pointed out that we are called to the service of God and that we are the recipients of those who served before us and especially those who suffered in spreading the gospel.
The Senior Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Right Reverend Philip R. Cousin, delivered the Communion Service sermon. The singing was magnificent and uplifting. At one point, Bishop Richard Allen Chappelle said that the service was too “high church” and he attempted to guide the service more a more evangelistic expression.
The Right Reverend Frank C. Cummings presented the preacher of the hour and he did that in a moving way. It is encouraging to feel the depth of one’s feeling as friend speaks about a friend. The congregation could feel the sincerity of Bishop Cummings as he introduced his friend, the Right Reverend Philip R. Cousin.
Bishop Cousin preached a dynamic sermon entitled, “The Vision through Hope.” He took his text from Isaiah 43:18-19. He asked the question, “What happens when the sun doesn’t shine in your ministry?” He encouraged those in ministry to look for, and find a vision of hope. He told us to understand that God promises a “new thing” and preachers must not live in a “no vision reality.” Bishop Cousin went on to say that many of our churches have become “ecclesiastical mausoleums” where dead folk live. He encourage us to know that the same God, the same Holy Ghost power “over there” at other churches, is present in our churches. Preachers and laity alike have to have a vision and the belief that God can yet do a new thing. We should not be discouraged when we face conflict and rejection. The bishop went on to say that, he had lived long enough to see mean folk change and gave a word of encouragement that God’s Arm is long enough to lift us up.
The people were brought to their feet as Bishop Cousin “put the icing on the cake.” Bishop Chappelle could smile because the sermon was a powerfully evangelistic sermon.
Holy Communion was celebrated and “a morning and an evening was the first day” of the 19th Annual Seminar on Church Growth and Development. “And God saw that it was good.”
Editor’s note: Hopefully, a more in-depth article about the 19th Annual Seminar on Church Growth and Evangelism will be received from the staff of that department.
2. THE YOUNG PEOPLE’S CORNER - “MY THOUGHTS ON THE STANDARDIZED ACHIEVEMENT TEST”:
By John Foster Jr.
(John Foster, Jr. is an 18 year-old graduating senior at Alexander High School in Douglasville, Georgia. He also serves as junior usher and Church School member at St. Philip African Methodist Episcopal Church in Savannah, Georgia where his father – Rev. Dr. John Foster – serves as senior pastor)
To many, the new Standardized Achievement Test (SAT) may seem very intimidating: the institution of higher-level math problems, longer reading passages, and the addition of an essay. In reality, there is no need to worry; the new SAT in many ways is similar to the old one, in the way that you can prepare for it. First, let us compare the two.
The old SAT consisted of two sections, Math and Verbal, each were scored on a scale of 200-800 (for a total of 1600), and was a total of three hours long. Each Math and Verbal section had 13-35 questions on it, and was 15-30 minutes in length. One section of the SAT was experimental. The Verbal section consisted of sentence completions, analogies, and critical reading, each type of question, especially sentence completion and analogy, required a facility with vocabulary. The Math section consisted of five-choice questions, four-choice quantitative comparisons, and grid-ins. The Math section, although being more subject-oriented than the Verbal, still did not require knowledge beyond a Sophomore Geometry Class. Many critics would say that this SAT depended too much on thinking skills and not so much on retention skills. This would lead to; you guessed it, the creation of the new current SAT.
The current new SAT is a radical revamping of the old SAT. The much loathed analogies and Quantitative Comparisons were removed, the verbal was renamed “Critical Reading”, the Writing and Essay sections were taken from the SAT II and put into this one. For those abstract thinkers, the new math section is bad news: higher-level math questions have been added to include material from Junior Algebra II. The New SAT is 3 hours and 45 minutes in length, and now consist of two experimental sections, up from one on the old one. Each section will still be scored on 200-800 scale (the essay will be scored on a scale of 0-12, and will be averaged into your writing score). Therefore, people will stop calling the nerdy quiet kid in the back of the class “Mr. 1600” and now will start calling him “Mr. 2400.” Each Math, Verbal, and Writing section will still consist of 13-35 questions, each 15-35 minutes in length, and there will be an independent essay section of 25 minutes.
Despite all these radical changes though, the New SAT is just as "coachable" as the old one. Kaplan, Princeton Review, College Board etc, are all selling prep books for the New SAT, so that says something about the persistence of the test’s “coachability” across revisions. You can take prep classes as well. You may also prepare for the new SAT online. There are various websites available including http://www.kaplain.com/, http://www.princetonreview.com/, and http://www.collegeboard.com/. So, go ahead, gear yourself up for the newest section of “The Big Test.”
I, myself, have had a chance to experience both worlds of the SAT. I took the old version of the SAT twice, in November of 2004 and January of 2005. The only problem I had with the verbal section was with analogies, which I found to be too abstract and time consuming for a speedy test-taker such as myself. The math section on the old one is comparable in difficulty to the math section on the new one. I did however; find the Quantitative Comparison section to be a little pestering.
I took the new one only once, in October of this past year. I actually welcomed the addition of the Writing Section and Essay, since I considered that to be my strength. I actually welcomed the removal of analogies and Quantitative Comparisons, since I disliked those types of problems with a passion. The removal of analogies made the Verbal (now called “Critical Reading”) considerably easier for me; the math section was not that much different. Although the test was nearly four hours long, I kept a cool manner.
John Foster Jr. was recently admitted to Hampton University, Hampton, VA. He has received a 4-year full-tuition scholarship and will attend Hampton University beginning Fall 2006.
3. THANK YOU MESSAGE FROM MRS. CONNIE SPEIGHTS RICHARDSON, SUPERVISOR OF THE SECOND EPISCOPAL DISTRICT:
Dear AME Church Family:
In the various seasons of our life, it becomes clearer how much Christian love, fellowship and support means. I write this message to share my sincere thanks and appreciation to persons throughout the AME Connection who extended various expressions of compassion to my family.
Last year included several unexpected challenges including my illness and subsequent recovery as well as the death of my mother, Mrs. Sarah Baker Speights. I am most appreciative of the comfort I received through the prayers, cards, calls, emails, telegrams, flowers and other gifts. Your demonstration of caring was helpful and timely. Please know that I am eternally grateful for every act of kindness extended to my family and me.
Philippians 1:3, 4 expresses my thoughts, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making requests with joy.”
Most sincerely,
Connie Speights Richardson
4. THE GLOBAL CORNER – A TESTIMONY AND AN EXAMPLE FOR COMMITMENT:
Zackie Achmat is the National Chairperson of the Treatment Action Campaign, an advocacy group for HIV treatment in South Africa. Some few years ago, his health was reported to have deteriorated – at almost a defining moment of living with AIDS. He refused taking antiretroviral, which he advocated for and even brought them into the country without permission. Even the former President, Tata Nelson Mandela, had to intervene cajoling him to take ARVs. He refuse, not because he didn’t trust ARVs to help him or disrespected the world’ statesmen, but he simply needed done was that government would make ARV treatment accessible to hundreds and thousands of people who needed it most. Today, South Africa is providing ARV treatment, albeit slow in doing so. Briefly, he tells his story here below.
Rev. Teboho G. Klaas
National Director: HIV/AIDS Programme
South African Council of Churches
9th Floor, Khotso House
62 Marshall House, Johannesburg 2001
Tel: +27 11 241 7811/2/6
Fax: +27 11 838 4818 or +27 11 492 4818
Mobile: +27 82 412 2960
Email: tgk@sacc.org
++++++++++++++
Dear All
My CD4 count has increased from 201 when I started ARV therapy on 5 September 2003 to 626 on 5 January 2006. My viral load is undetectable. Physically I am fitter than I have been in 20 years despite a heart attack last year. I have had no further ARV side-effects since the peripheral neuropathy from stavudine – I am doing really well on AZT/lamivudine and nevirapine.
Thanks to every TAC activist who has made this possible for me and tens of thousands of people in South Africa.
Zackie Achmat
5. AN INNOVATIVE VOICE IN THE NINTH DISTRICT:
The Reverend Frederick Joseph McCullough’s ascension to the pulpit of Payne Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Birmingham, Alabama on the first Sunday of December 2005 was indeed a present of joy for the congregation. After the Planning Meeting of the Ninth Episcopal District in November 2005, Bishop T. Larry Kirkland addressed the members of Payne Chapel and gave them optimistic hope that the arrival of their newly appointed pastor would be by the first Sunday of December who would be anointed, capable, and ready to take this great congregation to another level in the Titusville community. “Stand still and wait on the Lord, see His salvation manifest among you… I leave you in the charge of your proficient Presiding Elder, the Reverend Dwight E. Dillard of the South Birmingham- Huntsville District until December 4, 2005.”
When Sunday morning came, the Reverends Frederick Joseph McCullough and Courtnee Mills-McCullough along with Presiding Elder Walters Daniels of the South Atlanta District arrived from the Sixth Episcopal District to Birmingham, Alabama the “magical, miraculous city” of the Ninth Episcopal District accompanied by Bishop T. Larry Kirkland and Supervisor Mary Kirkland, Presiding Elder Dwight E. Dillard, and District Coordinator Christine Dillard. It was a new day of reckoning for Payne Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Titusville community.
The Reverend McCullough preached from Isaiah 6:1-8 and used as his subject, “Send Me, I’ll Go.” He emphasized 4 R’s we need to become useful for God’s Kingdom purposes, “Recognize How Great God Is, Realize How sinful we are, Receive God’s Forgiveness and Respond to God’s Call.
Reverend McCullough’s sermon pointed out that God empowers us to do the work of the kingdom. This work of the kingdom is the work of representing God to others. We cannot extend the forgiveness of God to others until we have received the forgiveness of God ourselves. We are not equipped to bring the burning coal that will cleanse someone else until it has touched us and cleansed us. The painful cleansing process was necessary before Isaiah could fulfill the task to which God was calling him. Before we accept God’s call to speak for him to those around us, we must be cleansed as Isaiah was, confessing our sins and submitting to God’s control. Letting God purify us may be painful, but we must be purified so that we can truly represent God, who is pure and holy.
He pointed out that there is one more thing that has to happen before we become useful to God. We must respond to the call of God. We must respond with, Isaiah’s statement, “Here Am I, Send Me”
We must step up. When God says, “Go!” we go. The sermon was both poignant and prophetic and Rev. McCullough’s sermon was right on-time and he continues this prophetic zeal every Sunday.
Payne Chapel’s new pastor, a leader who takes initiative and ready to lead the people to new challenges. The churches foundation has been shaken from their complacency of a good church to the manifestation of God’s great church. Rev. McCullough believes that the aspirations of a Great Church are within reach. "What God can't do cannot be done," he said. "If we have the faith, God has the power, Go Forth.”
Rev. McCullough is a drum major for the Lord, with a sociable, easygoing manner, and powerful preaching style that draws congregants to their feet, especially when he breaks out in song. He freely dispenses jokes, hugs, and details about his personal life; straight talk about inner church workings, in contrast to the more reserved traditional ministers.
He often says, "Go Forth." In over a month of traveling I-20 from Atlanta to Birmingham, Rev. McCullough has taught, informed, and refreshed the members in a leadership conference and Church Conference. His skilled innovative voice articulated pertinent biblical, doctrinal, and financial facts of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. “Preparing people for a Prepared Place” is the vision of Payne Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church. We are at the forefront of some very exciting things at Payne under the leadership of the Reverend Frederick Joseph McCullough who will lead the church to reach a contemporary world by equipping us to hold on to the traditions that are relevant, but change some of our methods of ministry to reach the global world.. As he first preached, “When hope dies you need a mission in the world. You need to get your focus off yourself, your problems, and what is wrong in your world, and focus on what God is doing in the world. You need to see the bigger picture and get on board with God’s eternal purposes.”
6. THE REV. DR. JESSICA KENDALL INGRAM TO HOST INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S CONVOCATION 2006 IN DALLAS, TEXAS:
By Rev. Salatheia Bryant-Honors
The Rev. Dr. Jessica Kendall Ingram, Episcopal Supervisor of the Tenth Episcopal District, will host the International Women's Convocation 2006 this summer in Dallas, Texas.
Since 1985 Rev. Jessica, as she is affectionately called in the Tenth District, has been calling women together for special spiritual-enrichment experiences that have been life-changing.
The 2006 convocation is designed to bring more than 2,000 women from the United States, Africa, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean together in one location for a divine experience.
Rev. Jessica calls the convocation, “Divine Expectations.”
"God instructed me to tell women to come to Dallas expecting to be blessed beyond measure. God has assured me that every expectation that you have of him will be met," she said. "You can expect to be changed through the preached word; you can expect to be delivered from those forces that have hindered you; you can expect for the praise and worship to take you to a new dimension."
The convocation will be packed with spiritual and personal development workshops designed to build up the mind, body and spirit of women from all walks of life, every hue and cross denominational lines.
The convocation will include powerful teaching and preaching from more than 30 preachers. The convocation promises to have something for everyone including a 200-voice convocation choir, South African praise team, liturgical dancers and an international cultural night. Gospel recording artist Karen Clark-Sheard will also perform during the convocation.
Early bird registration for the event runs through March 15. Early registration is $210. Regular registration is $240.
The convocation will be held at the Hilton (formerly the Wyndam) Anatole Hotel in Dallas. Room rates are $125/single or double; $145/ triple or quad.
Convocation preachers and workshop facilitators include the Rev. Dr. Jo Ann Browning, the Rev. Brenda Little, the Rev. Dr. Claudette Copeland, and the Rev. Dr. Renita Weems. The Honors Luncheon will recognize five outstanding women in our Zion who have been trailblazers. The luncheon will honor Bishops Sarah Davis, Carolyn Guidry and Vashti Murphy McKenzie, the Rev. Dr. Cecelia Williams Bryant and Dr. Jayme Williams Coleman. The speaker for the luncheon will be Patricia Russell-McCloud.
Rev. Jessica said the convocation will offer sisters an opportunity to connect with other sisters and give them a fresh encounter with God.
"You can expect to meet sisters and connect with them from across the world. You can expect a miracle in your life and you can expect to leave this International Women's Convocation living in Divine Expectations each day," said Rev. Jessica.
For more information, or to receive a registration brochure call: 214-333-2642 or E-mail ADMIN@AMEC-10THDIST.ORG
7. NORTHWEST MISSOURI CONFERENCE PART OF CONTINUING EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP WITH SAINT PAUL SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY:
At the 2005 Planning Meeting of the Fifth Episcopal District, Bishop John R. Bryant received the Theological Education Report, which included the initial recommendations of the Theological Education Liaison presented by the Rev. Sakena Young-Scaggs.
One of the recommendations put forth in the report was that “current pastors and ministers should be encouraged to utilize and be equipped with information on continuing education programs and projects which are accessible to them both in their regions and nationally.” The Rev. Robert Shaw, pastor of Allen Chapel (Kansas City, MO) and president of the Methodist Ministers’ Fellowship (MMF) of Greater Kansas City, Missouri, along with the Rev. Sherri E. Wood-Powe, pastor of Sterling Chapel (Lee’s Summit, MO) and chair of the Continuing Education Partnership between the MMF and Saint Paul School of Theology (Kansas City, MO) were already on course. With the Rev. Wood-Powe serving as the liaison, Rev. Shaw met with Dr. Myron McCoy (president of Saint Paul School of Theology) and a continuing education partnership established. This partnership provides an “Opportunity for clergy, ministers-in-training, and laity to sharpen their skills so they can effectively serve this present age,” stated Rev. Shaw.
The inaugural event of the partnership will take place on February 15, 2006. Dr. William B. McClain, Mary Elizabeth McGehee Joyce, Professor of Preaching, Wesley Theological Seminary (Washington, D.C.) will lecture on Vital Preaching and Worship Today. This lecture will allow persons attending to not only sit at the feet of one of this country’s acclaimed preaching academicians, but it will also provide clergy with the opportunity to learn and dialogue in areas of foremost importance to ministry – preaching and worship.
Submitted by the Rev. Sherri E. Wood-Powe on behalf of the NWMO Conference Publicity Committee
8. THIRTEENTH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT FOUNDER’S DAY 2006:
The 13th District Founder’s Day celebration will be held Thursday, February 9, 2006 – Saturday, February 11, 2006 at Greater Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1300 South Street, Nashville, Tennessee. The Rev. Michael Broadnax will be our host pastor.
Blocks of rooms have been reserved at the following hotels.
1. The Courtyard Marriott, – HOST HOTEL, 901 West End Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee, Room rate is $104/night. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-245-1959. Reservation deadline is 1-23-2006 to receive special group rate.
2. Holiday Inn Express, 920 Broadway, Nashville, Tennessee, Room rate is $89/night. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-465-4329. Reservation deadline is 1-24-2006 to receive special group rate.
3. Hampton Inn – Vanderbilt, 1919 West End Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee, Room rate is $99/night. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-HAMPTON or dialing the hotel directly at 615-329-1144. Reservation deadline is 1-20-2006 to receive special group rate.
When making reservations remember to request the 13th Episcopal District Founder’s Day Meeting for the A.M.E. Church rate.
9. SAINT PAUL AME CHURCH, VALDOSTA, GEORGIA CELEBRATES FOUNDER’S DAY AND BLACK HISTORY MONTH WITH DYNAMIC PREACHING:
We invite you to share with us as we celebrate the Founding of the AME Church and Black Heritage (History) Month. Saint Paul will do so by engaging in its second annual “’Sistas’ of the Word Preaching Explosion.”
The following dynamic preaching women will proclaim the Word of the Lord during this month:
February 5, 2006, the Rev. Jacqueline D. Smith, Presiding Elder of the Albany-Valdosta District, at 11:00 AM
February 12, 2006: the Rev. Sarah Sims Billups, Pastor of Ebenezer AME Church, Greensboro, GA at 11:00 AM
February 19, 2006: the Rev. Elizabeth Yates, Pastor of Greater Tanner AME Church, Quincy, Fl. at 8:00 AM & 11:00 AM
February 26, 2006: the Rev. Maria Mallory White, Associate Minister, New Mt. Zion AME Church, at 11:00 AM
Peace, Blessings, & Power,Pastor B. L. Francis
10. COMING TO PBS IN FEBRUARY IS THE FOUR PART SERIES, “SLAVERY AND THE MAKING OF AMERICA,” PRODUCED BY DANTE JAMES, AND NARRATED BY MORGAN FREEMAN:
Coming to PBS on February 9 and on February 16 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., is the four part series, “Slavery and the Making of America,” produced by Dante James, and narrated by Morgan Freeman.
Dante is an incredible filmmaker who has produced many award-wining films among them biographies on Marian Anderson and A. Philip Randolph. He worked with the late great filmmaker Henry Hampton at Blackside and was the executive producer of Hampton's last series entitled, This Far by Faith: African American Spiritual Journeys. Slavery and the Making of America tell the story of slavery from the point of view of the enslaved. The series recognizes the strength, humanity, and dignity of the enslaved and redefines them as pro-active freedom fighters not passive victims. There are also two web sites for the series.
http://www.pbs.org/slavery
http://www.slaveryinamerica.com
In the past, Slavery in America has featured several noted African American biographies, including Richard Allen.
http://www.slaveryinamerica.org/narratives/bio_richard_allen.htm
It is essential to inform friends, family and encourage them to watch.
If we can create a large audience for this important series, PBS will be encouraged to produce and air more programs that address the African-American experience. Remember, Black History is American History! Submitted by Stephanie and Eric Stradford
11. OIL COMPANIES TO REPORT HUGE EARNINGS:
Starting this Wednesday, Jan. 25, the world's major oil companies will report huge earnings increases for 2005. ConocoPhillips reports Wednesday; Chevron, Friday; ExxonMobil on Monday, Jan. 30; Royal Dutch Shell, Thursday, Feb. 2; and British Petroleum on Tuesday, Feb. 7.
Editor Sydnor has joined the Society of Professional Journalist (SPJ) and as a member has been invite to participate in a tele-seminar scheduled for this Thursday, Jan. 26, to brief journalists on the surge in oil company profits and the world market forces pushing earnings skyward. The tele-seminar is aimed at reporters, editors and producers who cover business, energy and related issues.
Editor Sydnor believes the economy impacts the Black American community, in general and specifically, the AME community and as my sister-in-law, the Reverend Cheryl Blake Hoskins says, “you can’t eat if you are not sitting at the table.” The Editor plans to represent the African Methodist Episcopal Church in as many areas as possible.
Editor Sydnor also is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)
12. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
Final arrangements for the Rev. J. R. Williams:
"Servant of God Well Done Rest from Your Employ"
Wake: Thursday, January 26, 2006, 6:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M.
St. Peter A.M.E. Church, 4730 Margaretta
St. Louis, Missouri 63115
Tel: 314-381-3345 FAX No. 314-381-7877
Email: STPETERAME@MSN.COM
Family Hour: Friday, January 27, 2006, 10:00 A.M.-11:00 A.M.
St. Peter A.M.E. Church, 4730 Margaretta
St. Louis, Mo. 63115
TEL: 314-381-3345
FAX: 314-381-7877
Funeral Services
Friday, January 27, 2006, 11:00 A.M.
St. Peter A.M.E. Church
4730 Margaretta
St. Louis, Mo 63115
TEL: 314-381-3345 FAX NO.: 314-381-7877
E-MAIL: STPETERAME@MSN.COM
Mortuary: Austin Layne Mortuary
7239 W. Florissant
St. Louis, Mo 63136
Tel: 314-381-6900
FAX: 314-381-5475
http://www.laynemortuary.com/
Condolences can be sent to:
Mrs. Helen R. Williams
4217 Shreve Ave.
St. Louis, Mo 63115
TEL: 314-385-6481
Submitted By: Presiding Elder Linda Thomas-Martin
Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Presiding Prelate
Thirteenth Episcopal District
African Methodist Episcopal Church
13. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
From: Bishop Wilfred Jacobus Messiah,
wjmessiah2004@yahoo.com
Presiding Bishop Twentieth Episcopal District
It is with deep regret that the 20th Episcopal District announces the passing of the Rev. Dolly Vengesayi on Sunday 22nd January 2006.
Rev. Vengesayi was the former Episcopal YPD Director for the 17th Episcopal District. Rev. Dolly was ordained an Itinerant Deacon at the First Session of the Northeast Zimbabwe Annual Conference 2004 by the Rt. Rev. Wilfred J. Messiah and was the distinguished Pastor of Forbes/Vengesayi Chapel - Harare, Zimbabwe.
She leaves to mourn her husband, Brother Wingfield T. Vengesayi, her church family and the entire 20th Episcopal District. Her burial will take place on Wednesday January 25, 2006.
We solicit your prayers for the Vengesayi family.
"What then shall we say of these things, if God be for us, who then shall be against us."
Bishop Messiah
14. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS PROVIDED BY:
Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry, Chair
Commission on Social Action Clergy Family Information Center
Mrs. Ora L. Easley - Administrator Email: Amespouses1@aol.com
(Nashville, Tennessee Contact) Phone: (615) 837-9736 Fax: (615) 833-3781
(Memphis, Tennessee Contact) (901) 578-4554 (Phone & Fax)
Please remember these families in your prayers.
15. CONDOLENCES TO THE BEREAVED FROM THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER:
The Chair of the Commission on Publications, the Right Reverend Gregory G. M. Ingram; the Publisher, the Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour and the Editor of the Christian Recorder, the Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III offer our condolences and prayers to those who have lost loved ones. We pray that the peace of Christ will be with you during this time of your bereavement.
Archive of The Christian Recorder Online from 2004-2016; Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, 20th Editor of The Christian Recorder
1/22/2006
THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER ONLINE ENGLISH EDITION (1/23/06)
Bishop Gregory G. M. Ingram - Chair, Commission on Publications
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr., Publisher
The Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, Editor
1. COMMENTS FROM THE EDITOR:
- The Editor attended the 19th Annual Seminar on Church Growth and Evangelism that was held in Birmingham, Alabama last week and the previous week, he traveled to Hampton, Virginia to speak at Fort Monroe, Virginia for the installation’s Martin Luther King Commemorative Service. This week we will be in Cincinnati for the Connectional Women’s Missionary Society Meeting.
We will write an article about the Church Growth and Evangelism Meeting and welcome articles from the Church Growth and Evangelism Department, as well as from the Connectional Women’s Missionary Society Meeting.
- By now, every AME should have received and read the Special Katrina Issue of The Christian Recorder. The AME Publisher, Dr. Johnny Barbour and his staff at the AME Publishing House printed over 66,000 copies that we distributed throughout the Church. A copy was supposed to be given to every AME family without charge. If you have not received your copy, please contact your pastor or presiding elder. If a presiding elder has not received his or her copies, he or she should contact his or her presiding bishop.
- As a result of the 66,000-copy edition of The Christian Recorder, we have fallen behind in our distribution schedule. We are catching up and the Editor and the Publisher are committed to getting The Christian Recorder to you on time. Please bear with us as we catch up in getting the issues back on schedule. We are also getting the online edition caught up as a result of the traveling these past two weeks.
- Retired Presiding Elder, the Rev. E. Lewis Branch suggested that The Christian Recorder feature articles about retired Presiding Elders who had dedicated their lives to our Zion. He suggested the title, “Where Are They Now?”
The Christian Recorder staff has accepted the suggestion and challenge of Reverend Branch and will accept articles about retired AME Ministers. Reverend Branch has agreed to do a series of articles for The Christian Recorder. I invite others of you to submit articles also. Let us “give flowers” to our retired clergy persons while they are still alive. Many of them have done and great work and in their ministry refused to “come down off the wall.”
The Reverend Dr. E. Lewis Branch submits the first article on the ministry of the Reverend Dr. Vernon I. Lowe.
2. “WHERE ARE THEY NOW?” - THE REVEREND DR. VERNON I. LOWE:
Dr. Vernon I. Lowe was born in Bermuda and married Eunice (Raynor) Lowe. They are the parents of four (4) children, three sons and one daughter. Dr. Lowe accepted his call to the ministry in 1953 while a member of Vernon Temple A.M.E. Church, Huntington, New York under the pastorate of Rev. Wendell J. Foster. The late Bishop George W. Baber ordained Dr. Lowe both deacon and an elder.
He was trained in the public schools of Bermuda. Furthered his education in the USA, New York, Bethel Bible School where he received his Bachelor and Master’s degree. Dr. Lowe was awarded the Doctor of Divinity degree from a university in South Africa,
Dr. Lowe served in the pastorate for thirty years in the following churches, all in the New York area – Mt. Pleasant AMEC, Morris Brown AMEC, Bethel AMEC, where he increased the membership from 46 to over 400 members.
Bishop Richard Allen Hildebrand appointed him Presiding Elder. He served in the Buffalo/Albany District for seven years, five years in the Brooklyn/West Chester District and fourteen years in the Jamaica/Long Island District. He retired April 2005. He now resides in Hunting, New York.
He was the immediate past president of the Connectional Presiding Elders’ Council where he served for four years elevating the public status of Presiding Elders. He continues to preach and giving council to young men and women entering the ministry. At present, his son, Robert Lowe is pastoring at Mt. Moriah AMEC, which has grown from 45 to over 4,000 members under his administration. He is also a TV preacher.
3. BISHOP RICHARD ALLEN CHAPPELLE, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE 12TH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT WARNS CHURCHES THAT SCAM ARTISTS ARE STILL COMMITTING FRAUD AGAINST AME CHURCHES:
The following account was forwarded by Bishop Richard Allen Chappelle
This evening I was contacted by a "Pastor Davis", who supposedly was sending me one of his members transferring to Arkansas because of her job, who he alleged was Bishop Adam J. Richardson's niece. He claimed that "Bishop Richardson" was with him and was “placed on the phone.” This person on the other end of the telephone spoke very friendly, as though he knew me personally and asked that I take care of his niece; he told me that he was at the airport and was about to catch a flight. He gave the phone back to "Pastor Davis," who then proceeded to tell me all about my soon-to-be member, "Diane Williams." He told me that she had four children, two girls and two boys. He also told me that she was a Federal Government HUD Loan Officer, whose job had been transferred to Arkansas. He went on to say that, she was driving enroute as we spoke and was approximately six hours away. Pastor Davis told me that Diane Williams played the piano and organ and that her husband had recently died of cancer and had served as a pastor under Bishop Ming.
Pastor Davis told me he had been trying to contact me all evening and it was then I realized it was he who had been "block calling" me. I had answered the telephone this time because a wireless number came up (646-510-0359).
Pastor Davis gave me a cell number to contact "Diane Williams" (202-374-6219), which I did not do immediately because I figured if she were 6 hours out, there would be no need to call her so soon.
I left the house for approximately an hour and when I returned there were 16 missed blocked calls on my phone and one message. The caller identified herself as Diane Williams and said that she had had a small accident. It became quickly evident that money was the motive of the call. She wanted me to vouch for her to the mechanic that had fixed her car, after being towed to his shop, because they would not take her personal check. Basically, she and the mechanic wanted me to go to Wal-Mart and wire $425 because she had given him all of her cash ($225.00). She warned me that her (blocked) cell phone battery was low and asked if she could call me back if we were disconnected. We were disconnected and she did call collect from the pay phone number 713-654-7483. This time she put the mechanic on the phone I asked him for the name of his shop. He gave me the same name of the shop that she had given me, "Firestone Emergency Road Service." I knew that a road service was not a shop so I asked him for a phone number that I could call him back and this “threw them for a loop.” He started to give me a "218" Area Code but made some excuse about the FAX being hooked up and said he would allow the woman to use his shop phone to call me back and give me the number within the next few minutes. This gave me the opportunity to look up on the internet the area codes. The areas codes from their phone calls had come out of Washington, D.C., Houston, Texas, New York, and Minnesota.
Diane Williams did call back, proceeded with her story, and attempted to give me another number, at which time I told her that I had contacted Bishop Richardson and he had stated that he did not even know her. She gasped and told someone, "She called Bishop Richardson." She was then instructed to hang up and she did.
Please pass this on to all of the AME pastors that you know. Somehow, someone has gotten an AME directory and I suspect that we have been targeted.
I really had not spoken to Bishop Richardson, but they did not know that.
Be blessed, be careful, and beware!
Written by the Reverend Shirley Inkton Bowers
4. CLARIFICATION - MS. AMANDA WILSON, WHO WILL BE WORKING IN SWAZILAND, IS FROM THE 13TH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT:
Ms. Amanda Wilson, who will be working at the Village in Mbabane Swaziland (18th District), in March, is from the 13th District, and is a member of Bethel AME in Knoxville (Rev. Johnny Watson is her pastor).
Submitted by Supervisor Stan McKenzie
5. CITY-WIDE GOSPEL REVIVAL: A NEW LEVEL OF LIVING IN 2006:
The Louisville area African Methodist Episcopal Churches are sponsoring a citywide revival at Quinn Chapel A. M. E. Church, 1901 W. Muhammad Ali Boulevard in Louisville, Kentucky on January 25 – 27, 2006 (Wednesday – Friday) at 6:45 p.m. nightly. The Reverend Dr. Pedro Basden is the Pastor of Quinn Chapel.
The guest Evangelist will be the Rev. Terence Gray, pastor of St. Mark A. M. E. Church, Orlando, Florida
The revival theme is, “Spirituality – Unification – Growth”
6. KING FOR A DAY:
"The noblest goal is not conquest of enemies but reconciliation with adversaries.” - Coretta Scott King, King Day 2006
By Stephanie and Eric Stradford
FAS2 ATLANTA, Monday January 16, 2006 – Martin Luther King, III stood with his mom and on his dad’s shoulders to address the dream. Mrs. King’s oldest son told reporters, "Typically a holiday means to chill and cool out. One day we will get there, but this is not the time to do that yet."
Mrs. Coretta Scott King speaks at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Photo AP
As eldest son of the legendary civil rights family, Martin Luther King, III stepped up to proclaim, "The primary message is that, as we every year approach the King holiday, that we are closer to the dream and vision of Martin Luther King, Jr., but we have not achieved it yet, so this is a day of service. It's a day that we should re-commit ourselves," he said.
The Kings are far from immune to the normal stuff families endure in this land of deferred dreams. But, despite the challenges, Martin, Bernice, Dexter, and Yolanda are rising above the rhetoric to that era of healing and wholeness in America dreamed of by their slain father.
Mother Coretta Scott King’s visit to Ebenezer Baptist Church brought with it a message of hope and caution. "The noblest goal is not conquest of enemies but reconciliation with adversaries. We must remember in this election year that Republicans, Democrats, conservatives and liberals, we are all sisters and brothers," she said. “Like Martin Luther King, Jr., we must never allow our dialogue to become degraded by insults and humiliation, and we must always respect the dignity and humanity of our adversaries.”
King's widow has been recovering from a stroke she suffered last summer that also left her partially paralyzed. Still she rose to rally her offspring and movement beneficiaries to a national defense of the poor people’s throne. Mrs. King had not been seen publicly since last year's King Holiday ceremonies in Atlanta. Doctors had predicted a slow recovery and some were convinced that last year was her last King Day.
Instead, Mother King stood in the place where Black mothers have been needed since before the U.S. government said, “Y’all free now.” It is the first King Day since the death of Mother Rosa Parks, Dr. C. DeLores Tucker and Father of Affirmative Action Enforcement, Dr. Arthur Allen Fletcher.
History records that Dr. King’s legacy of struggle for equality and justice is for all people. They are messages about unity, painting a world where people of all colors, creeds, backgrounds, and faiths work together for a brighter future.
In King’s world, notable black American intellectuals such as Dr. Thomas Sowell, Dr. Alan Keyes, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and current Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice might be edified as champions for human rights, if only for a day.
Mrs. King’s words of wisdom for 2006 dug deeper than the divisive politics of 21st Century America. The Kings' four children are just beginning to realize that “noblest goal” of which their mother spoke. The perceived battle over who controls their father's message of nonviolence provides yet another opportunity for healing and wholeness.
The National Park Service, which in 1995 miscounted the number of men in a Million Man March, might have an interest in taking over the King Center from the King family. But, perhaps there is a better deal brewing that adds value to the family business by uniting with an extended family of beneficiaries.
"We get in the habit of trying to tear down noble figures from time to time. I think it's just human nature," said U.S. Representative John Lewis, who first met King at age 18. Lewis spoke at the 1963 March on Washington just before King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin said, "It's important for us to come together, to find solutions for poverty, to find solutions for peace, and, for me as mayor, to use my position and the soapbox, the bully pulpit, to advocate for the eradication of poverty and for peace and good will…Perhaps some prefer to honor the dreamer while ignoring or fighting the dream," she said.
Marty King’s reality for King Day 2006 is that family is family. Members of Rosa Parks’ family faced the same reality after Mother Parks died. Even after death, “Quiet Strength” lives. The value in Parks’ December 1, 1955 demonstration will barely fund a cup of coffee if mismanaged in the hands of greedy, selfish people.
Dr. King’s birthday must be more than just a holiday or a chance for political bantering. It must celebrate a man who gambled on a better America despite the risks to his family. If relegated to the oppressors, and the historians they hire, King Day is likely to be remembered as a prophetic weeping and gnashing of teeth until, and unless you decide otherwise.
Contributing reports by Jerry Brooks, The Washington Dispatch, Associated Press, and IXIA 11 Alive News, Atlanta.
7. WATTS CHURCH KICKS-OFF ITS CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF MINISTRY WITH “A CELEBRATION OF WORSHIP & ARTS” SUN., JAN. 29; FEATURES INCLUDE DRAMA, DANCE, POETRY AND CHRISTIAN RAP:
LOS ANGELES — (January 16, 2006) — Grant A.M.E. Church is celebrating! The Watts Church kicks-off its yearlong centennial celebration of ministry with “A Celebration of Worship & Arts” on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 4:30 p.m.
“This event promises to be ‘hallelujah good time’ in the Lord,” said the Rev. Leslie R. White with a wide smile. “We are bursting at the seams with joy as we reflect on God’s goodness. We are looking forward to sharing that joy and excitement with the community as we worship the Lord through the arts.”
The 90-minute extravaganza features creative expressions of praise including drama, liturgical dance, music and sign language. Participants include:
· The Joyful Praise Dance Ministry – directed by famed choreographer and professionally trained dancer Steven Semien, the Joyful Praise Dancers have left parishioners in awe with past performances of “Wade in the Water,” “Hallelujah You’re Worthy” and “Are you Ready for a Miracle?”
· The Illuminations Drama Ministry – their debut performance last December of “A Conscience Revisited” was so powerful that an encore performance was added earlier this month. Led by former General Hospital actress Senait Ashenafi, the cast will present “Relgiontree.com,” an inspiring piece on shopping for religion.
· G-Boy Union – click88, L-Brown, and Grant’s own TripLL-H have become staples of the 11 a.m. worship service each third Sunday. Their electrifying presentations incorporate the right combination of Scripture and hip hop to make your head rock to the beat and for your mind think about the awesome nature of Jesus Christ.
· Dramatic presentations – Grant’s own Lesia Bridgewater, Ian Lawrence, Ebony Malbry and Judith Robinson will present the Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23 in dramatic fashion. Look for the incorporation of African themes and sign language for added sensory effect.
· Spoken-word poetry – Resident poet par excellence Theresa Lawrence and guest poets from Carson High School will leave congregants spellbound with their stimulating original poems and interpretive reading of featured selections.
· Melodies from heaven – Grant’s renowned choirs, under the direction of critically acclaimed composer Byron Smith, and anointed and esteemed musicians Chris R. Jordan and Theresa Jones-Bailey, have taken seriously the command to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” Thusly, the Junior, New Spirit Nation, Voices for Christ and Adult choirs will sing unto the Lord Sunday afternoon.
· Special guests – including the gospel choirs of Ward and Second A.M.E. churches along with New Philadelphia A.M.E. Church, Rancho Domingo. So sought-after are these ensembles that Ward’s choir, for example, was featured on NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”
According to White, the fact that the program is uniquely nestled between Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Day and the start of African American History Month is “an added bonus” as the Church reflects on its own history in the Watts community.
The event also coincides with a planned trip to Atlanta in early February, where White and the aforementioned ministries will present at the Founder’s Day Celebration of Turner Theological Seminary.
Grant A.M.E. Church is located at 10435 South Central Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90002. Services are heard on the radio each Sunday morning at 6 a.m. on KJLH 102.3 FM. Join us for worship on Sundays at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. and for Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday Hour of Power begins at 11:30 a.m. and Thursday night Soul Food starts at 6 pm.
All are welcome; admission is free. For driving directions or for more information visit www.GrantAMEChurch.org or contact the Church office at 323-564-1151.
Contact: Rev. Kevin T. Taylor, Telephone (323) 564-1151
8. A FAMILY TRIBUTE FOR THE REVEREND ALDUSTUS EARL JORDAN, JR. - MARCH 2, 1927 – DECEMBER 28, 2005:
Aldustus Earl Jordan, Jr. was born in Stamford, Connecticut on March 2, 1927 as the first child to the former Mary Elizabeth Brooks and Aldustus Earl Jordan. After residing in Stamford for about one year, the family moved to Jamaica, Long Island, New York. It was in Jamaica that the family was made complete with the birth of Elizabeth, Preston, and Edward. As he grew up, he was called Junior or “June” for short by family and friends.
Education was stressed in the home and Aldustus attended Public School No. 40 and 116. Because of his high scholastic ability, he was eligible for “Rapid Advancement Classes” on the Junior High School level. He was an honor student at Shimer Junior High School and continued to complete the Senior High Curriculum at Brooklyn Automotive Trade School.
He married the former Ernestine Martha Adams and to this union was born five children—Aldustus III, Ernestine Sharon, Ernest, Michael, and Kevin. Many years following the death of Ernestine, he married the former Elaine Crawford and a sixth child was born, Edward (Pookie).
Between seventeen and eighteen years of age, Aldustus received the divine call to preach the word of God and he faithfully accepted and obeyed God’s call. Upon receiving a scholarship, he entered and graduated from Shelton College and National Bible Institute in New York City. Many fruitful and spiritual hours were spent as a member of Allen A.M.E. church in Jamaica with the pastor and mentor Rev. William McKinley Dawkins. In 1947, Aldustus gained admittance into the A.M.E. New York Conference as one of God’s anointed.
Reverend Jordan’s first ministerial appointments were located on Long Island at Trinity A.M.E. Church in Smithtown and Allen A.M.E. Church in Northport. He would hold service at one church in the morning and the other in the afternoon. In 1956, the family left New York where he accepted the pastorate of Ebenezer A.M.E. Church in Rahway, New Jersey for two years. He also served as Secretary for the New Brunswick District, Ministerial Alliance and Secretary to the New Jersey Annual Conference, and as a member of the board of Urban Renewal for the City of Rahway.
In 1958, Reverend Jordan was appointed pastor of Trinity A.M.E. Church in Long Branch, New Jersey. In 1959, he was appointed by then New Jersey Governor Robert B. Meyner as the State’s representative to the City of Long Branch Housing Authority and urban renewal agency and was elected to the position of Vice-Chairman of the Long Branch Housing Authority. In 1961, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Interested Citizens Civic Organization. He was later endorsed by the organization as a candidate for City Council representing Ward 5. In 1963, he received the Citizens Committee Award recognizing outstanding service to City of Long Branch.
In 1965, he became pastor of Bethel A.M.E. Church in Huntington, New York where he quickly emerged as both a spiritual leader and a community organizer. He secured federal funds for the Huntington Community Action Center and became its first director. He is also well known for his “Buck for A Bus Campaign” that raised funds to purchase a new bus for the Huntington Headstart Program. The Summer Camp that he started for the community’s poor children at East Woods School continues to this day.
He would later pastor at Greater Bethel A.M.E. in Harlem, Bethel Tabernacle A.M.E in Brooklyn, and Calvary A.M.E. in Glen Cove. He retired from the active ministry in 2003.
He is survived by his wife Elaine; siblings Elizabeth, Preston, and Edward; six children, Aldustus III, Ernestine Sharon, Ernest, Michael, Kevin, and Edward; six grandsons Aldustus Edward, David, Trevis, Calder, Lloyd (L. J.), and Reed; sister-in-laws Alma and Margie; daughter-in-laws Barbara, Claire, and Rosamund; son-in-law Lloyd James, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, and those who have adopted him as their father.
The life of Reverend A. Earl Jordan is characterized by strong faith in God, love for all humanity, and an unbending commitment to social justice. He was loving, compassionate, and tough when necessary. We celebrate his passing to his final reward and thank him for a job well done.
9. MT. ZION A.M.E CHURCH -CHOSEN WOMEN OF GOD CONFERENCE 2006:
The Women of Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church Of DeLand, Florida will be having our Annual Women Conference
Date:
February 17 thru February 19, 2006
Theme: Women Standing in Unity
Therefore, I the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:1-2
Please come and join us in this great celebration.
Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church
935 South Adelle Avenue
DeLand, Florida
Church Phone#: 386-736-1578
Reverend Grandville Anderson, Pastor
10. NASHVILLE BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ADDS ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Nashville, TN (BlackNews.com) - Darren L. Johnson, author and organization development consultant, who is responsible for leading the Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce through its 2005 organizational redesign, has accepted a position on the Board of Directors for that organization, beginning January 2006.
In a recent interview regarding Johnson's leadership efforts in 2005, Charles Sueing, Chairman of the Nashville Black Chambers Board of Directors stated, "Darren stepped up to the plate and accepted the position of Interim Executive Director, later titled Interim President. He applied his "Inside Out Learning" principles to shape and define the Chamber. Johnson's advice was for the Chamber to cease all activities in 2005 until it was prepared to step out anew. The Board heeded the advice and thus began Johnson's two steps back approach."
According to Sueing, by taking two steps back, the chamber made time to develop and implement a strategy to address [it's] challenges.
As the Interim President, Johnson's strategic leadership effort included a total system redesign of the Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce. He completed an organizational audit, revamped its financial records, re-designed the website (www.nashvilleblackchamber.org), and relocated the office.
According to Johnson, "Taking two steps back was part of an effort to create a new image and position the Black Chamber as an organization that can successfully assist & support Black owned businesses and their partners throughout Nashville."
Johnson also partnered the Chamber with the founders of Coffee Talk Nashville, a networking event that happens every third Thursday morning at Kijiji Coffee House in Nashville.
Although Johnson's contract officially ended on September 7, 2005, he remained in the position until December 31, 2005 to assist the Black Chamber through its transition. He has agreed to be on the Board of Directors beginning in January 2006.
For more information about the Nashville Black Chamber, call 615-876-9634.
InsideOut Learning, Inc. offers organization development consulting and coaching. They are the publishers of the Letting Go of Stuff book and CD series. (www.lettinggoofstuff.com)
11. THE PASTOR’S CORNER - FAN THE FLAME – FAITH:
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you…Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (II Timothy 1: 6 & 2: 15)
The Apostle Paul reminds young Timothy and us to “fan into flame the gift of God that is in [us].” He later describes living a life of sound solid faith as a means of fanning the flame of eternal and abundant life that is ours through Jesus Christ.
The ideal or standard for the Christian life is to secure or gain the approval of God. The order of authority is however often reversed to suggest that it is God’s goal to win the approval of people. It is as though God is simply a blessing dispenser. Faith is then incorrectly taught as a practice through which the believer can manage his or her relationship with God for the purpose of receiving the blessings we desire. Nothing is further from the “TRUTH” (John 14: 6). Paul instructs Timothy, and us “to do our best to present ourselves to God as one approved” by God. In doing so, we “fan into flame the gift of God, which is in [us].” II Timothy 1: 6)
What is it that wins the approval of God? Hebrews 11: 6 tells us faith pleases God because “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Faith is the active belief that God is who God says God is. Let us dissect this definition using Hebrews 11: 6 as our template.
Active – “…because anyone who comes to Him…” To come to God denotes action on our part.
Belief that God is – we “must believe that He exists.” We must not only acknowledge but also trust in His existence. James 2: 19 says, “You believe there is one God. Good! Even demons believe that – and shudder.” And, James 2: 18 adds, “I will show you my faith by what I do.” Our actions must reflect our belief in His existence – that is real faith.
Who God says God is – “He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” We are to focus on knowing God intimately and not just on knowing what God has for us.
What Source Can I Access to Develop Faith? Romans 10: 17 (NIV) tells us, “Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” The message is (Romans 10:9) the proclamation of the finished work of Christ. Jesus is Lord. God raised Him from the dead. And, everyone who calls (Romans 10: 13) on the name of the Lord will be saved. We are saved from sin, guilt and the destructive habits that can rob us of life. Therefore, we are to study and seek the word of God in order to have life.
Fan the flame of eternal life. Fan the flame of abundant life. Attend worship services, weekly. Study and read the word, daily. Because “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Fan the flame!
Pastor James Moody
Quinn Chapel, Chicago
12. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We regret to inform you of the passing of Rev. Charles McAllister. He was the pastor of Mt. Zion AME Church in Columbia, Pennsylvania (Harrisburg District). The following information has been provided regarding funeral arrangements.
Viewing and Funeral Service– Monday, January 23, 2006
Viewing - 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Service – 11:00 a.m.
Church of Deliverance
201 Bradford Avenue
Downingtown, PA 19335
Funeral Home:
Emmett Golden Hunt Memorial Chapel
427 East Lincoln Highway
Coatesville, Pennsylvania 19320
Funeral – Saturday, January 28, 2006
Service – 1:00 p.m.
St. Phillip AMEZ Church
Acorn Branch Road
Wilmington, North Carolina 28405
French I. Davis Funeral Home
316 North 6th Street
Wilmington, North Carolina 28401
Condolences may be sent to his wife:
The Rev. Patricia McAllister
1193 Glenside Road
Downingtown, PA 19335
Phone: 610-873-0948
Please keep Rev. Patricia McAllister and the family in your prayers
13. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
From: Presiding Elder Linda F. Thomas-Martin
Our heartfelt love and prayers are extended to the William family as we deeply regret announcing the passing of Reverend John R. Williams. He was known throughout the Church as “JR.”
The Reverend John R. Williams was the retired pastor of Greater St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, Louisville, Kentucky, Presiding Elder emeritus of the West Kentucky Annual Conference under the jurisdiction of the Thirteenth Episcopal District and organist extraordinaire. Reverend Williams passed on January 20th at 12:45 PM.
Funeral service arrangements will be forth coming.
Please remember Sister Helen Williams and family in your prayers.
14. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS PROVIDED BY:
Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry, Chair
Commission on Social Action Clergy Family Information Center
Mrs. Ora L. Easley - Administrator Email: Amespouses1@aol.com
(Nashville, Tennessee Contact) Phone: (615) 837-9736 Fax: (615) 833-3781
(Memphis, Tennessee Contact) (901) 578-4554 (Phone & Fax)
Please remember these families in your prayers.
15. CONDOLENCES TO THE BEREAVED FROM THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER:
The Chair of the Commission on Publications, the Right Reverend Gregory G. M. Ingram; the Publisher, the Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour and the Editor of the Christian Recorder, the Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III offer our condolences and prayers to those who have lost loved ones. We pray that the peace of Christ will be with you during this time of your bereavement.
The Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour, Jr., Publisher
The Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III, Editor
1. COMMENTS FROM THE EDITOR:
- The Editor attended the 19th Annual Seminar on Church Growth and Evangelism that was held in Birmingham, Alabama last week and the previous week, he traveled to Hampton, Virginia to speak at Fort Monroe, Virginia for the installation’s Martin Luther King Commemorative Service. This week we will be in Cincinnati for the Connectional Women’s Missionary Society Meeting.
We will write an article about the Church Growth and Evangelism Meeting and welcome articles from the Church Growth and Evangelism Department, as well as from the Connectional Women’s Missionary Society Meeting.
- By now, every AME should have received and read the Special Katrina Issue of The Christian Recorder. The AME Publisher, Dr. Johnny Barbour and his staff at the AME Publishing House printed over 66,000 copies that we distributed throughout the Church. A copy was supposed to be given to every AME family without charge. If you have not received your copy, please contact your pastor or presiding elder. If a presiding elder has not received his or her copies, he or she should contact his or her presiding bishop.
- As a result of the 66,000-copy edition of The Christian Recorder, we have fallen behind in our distribution schedule. We are catching up and the Editor and the Publisher are committed to getting The Christian Recorder to you on time. Please bear with us as we catch up in getting the issues back on schedule. We are also getting the online edition caught up as a result of the traveling these past two weeks.
- Retired Presiding Elder, the Rev. E. Lewis Branch suggested that The Christian Recorder feature articles about retired Presiding Elders who had dedicated their lives to our Zion. He suggested the title, “Where Are They Now?”
The Christian Recorder staff has accepted the suggestion and challenge of Reverend Branch and will accept articles about retired AME Ministers. Reverend Branch has agreed to do a series of articles for The Christian Recorder. I invite others of you to submit articles also. Let us “give flowers” to our retired clergy persons while they are still alive. Many of them have done and great work and in their ministry refused to “come down off the wall.”
The Reverend Dr. E. Lewis Branch submits the first article on the ministry of the Reverend Dr. Vernon I. Lowe.
2. “WHERE ARE THEY NOW?” - THE REVEREND DR. VERNON I. LOWE:
Dr. Vernon I. Lowe was born in Bermuda and married Eunice (Raynor) Lowe. They are the parents of four (4) children, three sons and one daughter. Dr. Lowe accepted his call to the ministry in 1953 while a member of Vernon Temple A.M.E. Church, Huntington, New York under the pastorate of Rev. Wendell J. Foster. The late Bishop George W. Baber ordained Dr. Lowe both deacon and an elder.
He was trained in the public schools of Bermuda. Furthered his education in the USA, New York, Bethel Bible School where he received his Bachelor and Master’s degree. Dr. Lowe was awarded the Doctor of Divinity degree from a university in South Africa,
Dr. Lowe served in the pastorate for thirty years in the following churches, all in the New York area – Mt. Pleasant AMEC, Morris Brown AMEC, Bethel AMEC, where he increased the membership from 46 to over 400 members.
Bishop Richard Allen Hildebrand appointed him Presiding Elder. He served in the Buffalo/Albany District for seven years, five years in the Brooklyn/West Chester District and fourteen years in the Jamaica/Long Island District. He retired April 2005. He now resides in Hunting, New York.
He was the immediate past president of the Connectional Presiding Elders’ Council where he served for four years elevating the public status of Presiding Elders. He continues to preach and giving council to young men and women entering the ministry. At present, his son, Robert Lowe is pastoring at Mt. Moriah AMEC, which has grown from 45 to over 4,000 members under his administration. He is also a TV preacher.
3. BISHOP RICHARD ALLEN CHAPPELLE, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE 12TH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT WARNS CHURCHES THAT SCAM ARTISTS ARE STILL COMMITTING FRAUD AGAINST AME CHURCHES:
The following account was forwarded by Bishop Richard Allen Chappelle
This evening I was contacted by a "Pastor Davis", who supposedly was sending me one of his members transferring to Arkansas because of her job, who he alleged was Bishop Adam J. Richardson's niece. He claimed that "Bishop Richardson" was with him and was “placed on the phone.” This person on the other end of the telephone spoke very friendly, as though he knew me personally and asked that I take care of his niece; he told me that he was at the airport and was about to catch a flight. He gave the phone back to "Pastor Davis," who then proceeded to tell me all about my soon-to-be member, "Diane Williams." He told me that she had four children, two girls and two boys. He also told me that she was a Federal Government HUD Loan Officer, whose job had been transferred to Arkansas. He went on to say that, she was driving enroute as we spoke and was approximately six hours away. Pastor Davis told me that Diane Williams played the piano and organ and that her husband had recently died of cancer and had served as a pastor under Bishop Ming.
Pastor Davis told me he had been trying to contact me all evening and it was then I realized it was he who had been "block calling" me. I had answered the telephone this time because a wireless number came up (646-510-0359).
Pastor Davis gave me a cell number to contact "Diane Williams" (202-374-6219), which I did not do immediately because I figured if she were 6 hours out, there would be no need to call her so soon.
I left the house for approximately an hour and when I returned there were 16 missed blocked calls on my phone and one message. The caller identified herself as Diane Williams and said that she had had a small accident. It became quickly evident that money was the motive of the call. She wanted me to vouch for her to the mechanic that had fixed her car, after being towed to his shop, because they would not take her personal check. Basically, she and the mechanic wanted me to go to Wal-Mart and wire $425 because she had given him all of her cash ($225.00). She warned me that her (blocked) cell phone battery was low and asked if she could call me back if we were disconnected. We were disconnected and she did call collect from the pay phone number 713-654-7483. This time she put the mechanic on the phone I asked him for the name of his shop. He gave me the same name of the shop that she had given me, "Firestone Emergency Road Service." I knew that a road service was not a shop so I asked him for a phone number that I could call him back and this “threw them for a loop.” He started to give me a "218" Area Code but made some excuse about the FAX being hooked up and said he would allow the woman to use his shop phone to call me back and give me the number within the next few minutes. This gave me the opportunity to look up on the internet the area codes. The areas codes from their phone calls had come out of Washington, D.C., Houston, Texas, New York, and Minnesota.
Diane Williams did call back, proceeded with her story, and attempted to give me another number, at which time I told her that I had contacted Bishop Richardson and he had stated that he did not even know her. She gasped and told someone, "She called Bishop Richardson." She was then instructed to hang up and she did.
Please pass this on to all of the AME pastors that you know. Somehow, someone has gotten an AME directory and I suspect that we have been targeted.
I really had not spoken to Bishop Richardson, but they did not know that.
Be blessed, be careful, and beware!
Written by the Reverend Shirley Inkton Bowers
4. CLARIFICATION - MS. AMANDA WILSON, WHO WILL BE WORKING IN SWAZILAND, IS FROM THE 13TH EPISCOPAL DISTRICT:
Ms. Amanda Wilson, who will be working at the Village in Mbabane Swaziland (18th District), in March, is from the 13th District, and is a member of Bethel AME in Knoxville (Rev. Johnny Watson is her pastor).
Submitted by Supervisor Stan McKenzie
5. CITY-WIDE GOSPEL REVIVAL: A NEW LEVEL OF LIVING IN 2006:
The Louisville area African Methodist Episcopal Churches are sponsoring a citywide revival at Quinn Chapel A. M. E. Church, 1901 W. Muhammad Ali Boulevard in Louisville, Kentucky on January 25 – 27, 2006 (Wednesday – Friday) at 6:45 p.m. nightly. The Reverend Dr. Pedro Basden is the Pastor of Quinn Chapel.
The guest Evangelist will be the Rev. Terence Gray, pastor of St. Mark A. M. E. Church, Orlando, Florida
The revival theme is, “Spirituality – Unification – Growth”
6. KING FOR A DAY:
"The noblest goal is not conquest of enemies but reconciliation with adversaries.” - Coretta Scott King, King Day 2006
By Stephanie and Eric Stradford
FAS2 ATLANTA, Monday January 16, 2006 – Martin Luther King, III stood with his mom and on his dad’s shoulders to address the dream. Mrs. King’s oldest son told reporters, "Typically a holiday means to chill and cool out. One day we will get there, but this is not the time to do that yet."
Mrs. Coretta Scott King speaks at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Photo AP
As eldest son of the legendary civil rights family, Martin Luther King, III stepped up to proclaim, "The primary message is that, as we every year approach the King holiday, that we are closer to the dream and vision of Martin Luther King, Jr., but we have not achieved it yet, so this is a day of service. It's a day that we should re-commit ourselves," he said.
The Kings are far from immune to the normal stuff families endure in this land of deferred dreams. But, despite the challenges, Martin, Bernice, Dexter, and Yolanda are rising above the rhetoric to that era of healing and wholeness in America dreamed of by their slain father.
Mother Coretta Scott King’s visit to Ebenezer Baptist Church brought with it a message of hope and caution. "The noblest goal is not conquest of enemies but reconciliation with adversaries. We must remember in this election year that Republicans, Democrats, conservatives and liberals, we are all sisters and brothers," she said. “Like Martin Luther King, Jr., we must never allow our dialogue to become degraded by insults and humiliation, and we must always respect the dignity and humanity of our adversaries.”
King's widow has been recovering from a stroke she suffered last summer that also left her partially paralyzed. Still she rose to rally her offspring and movement beneficiaries to a national defense of the poor people’s throne. Mrs. King had not been seen publicly since last year's King Holiday ceremonies in Atlanta. Doctors had predicted a slow recovery and some were convinced that last year was her last King Day.
Instead, Mother King stood in the place where Black mothers have been needed since before the U.S. government said, “Y’all free now.” It is the first King Day since the death of Mother Rosa Parks, Dr. C. DeLores Tucker and Father of Affirmative Action Enforcement, Dr. Arthur Allen Fletcher.
History records that Dr. King’s legacy of struggle for equality and justice is for all people. They are messages about unity, painting a world where people of all colors, creeds, backgrounds, and faiths work together for a brighter future.
In King’s world, notable black American intellectuals such as Dr. Thomas Sowell, Dr. Alan Keyes, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and current Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice might be edified as champions for human rights, if only for a day.
Mrs. King’s words of wisdom for 2006 dug deeper than the divisive politics of 21st Century America. The Kings' four children are just beginning to realize that “noblest goal” of which their mother spoke. The perceived battle over who controls their father's message of nonviolence provides yet another opportunity for healing and wholeness.
The National Park Service, which in 1995 miscounted the number of men in a Million Man March, might have an interest in taking over the King Center from the King family. But, perhaps there is a better deal brewing that adds value to the family business by uniting with an extended family of beneficiaries.
"We get in the habit of trying to tear down noble figures from time to time. I think it's just human nature," said U.S. Representative John Lewis, who first met King at age 18. Lewis spoke at the 1963 March on Washington just before King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin said, "It's important for us to come together, to find solutions for poverty, to find solutions for peace, and, for me as mayor, to use my position and the soapbox, the bully pulpit, to advocate for the eradication of poverty and for peace and good will…Perhaps some prefer to honor the dreamer while ignoring or fighting the dream," she said.
Marty King’s reality for King Day 2006 is that family is family. Members of Rosa Parks’ family faced the same reality after Mother Parks died. Even after death, “Quiet Strength” lives. The value in Parks’ December 1, 1955 demonstration will barely fund a cup of coffee if mismanaged in the hands of greedy, selfish people.
Dr. King’s birthday must be more than just a holiday or a chance for political bantering. It must celebrate a man who gambled on a better America despite the risks to his family. If relegated to the oppressors, and the historians they hire, King Day is likely to be remembered as a prophetic weeping and gnashing of teeth until, and unless you decide otherwise.
Contributing reports by Jerry Brooks, The Washington Dispatch, Associated Press, and IXIA 11 Alive News, Atlanta.
7. WATTS CHURCH KICKS-OFF ITS CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF MINISTRY WITH “A CELEBRATION OF WORSHIP & ARTS” SUN., JAN. 29; FEATURES INCLUDE DRAMA, DANCE, POETRY AND CHRISTIAN RAP:
LOS ANGELES — (January 16, 2006) — Grant A.M.E. Church is celebrating! The Watts Church kicks-off its yearlong centennial celebration of ministry with “A Celebration of Worship & Arts” on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 4:30 p.m.
“This event promises to be ‘hallelujah good time’ in the Lord,” said the Rev. Leslie R. White with a wide smile. “We are bursting at the seams with joy as we reflect on God’s goodness. We are looking forward to sharing that joy and excitement with the community as we worship the Lord through the arts.”
The 90-minute extravaganza features creative expressions of praise including drama, liturgical dance, music and sign language. Participants include:
· The Joyful Praise Dance Ministry – directed by famed choreographer and professionally trained dancer Steven Semien, the Joyful Praise Dancers have left parishioners in awe with past performances of “Wade in the Water,” “Hallelujah You’re Worthy” and “Are you Ready for a Miracle?”
· The Illuminations Drama Ministry – their debut performance last December of “A Conscience Revisited” was so powerful that an encore performance was added earlier this month. Led by former General Hospital actress Senait Ashenafi, the cast will present “Relgiontree.com,” an inspiring piece on shopping for religion.
· G-Boy Union – click88, L-Brown, and Grant’s own TripLL-H have become staples of the 11 a.m. worship service each third Sunday. Their electrifying presentations incorporate the right combination of Scripture and hip hop to make your head rock to the beat and for your mind think about the awesome nature of Jesus Christ.
· Dramatic presentations – Grant’s own Lesia Bridgewater, Ian Lawrence, Ebony Malbry and Judith Robinson will present the Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23 in dramatic fashion. Look for the incorporation of African themes and sign language for added sensory effect.
· Spoken-word poetry – Resident poet par excellence Theresa Lawrence and guest poets from Carson High School will leave congregants spellbound with their stimulating original poems and interpretive reading of featured selections.
· Melodies from heaven – Grant’s renowned choirs, under the direction of critically acclaimed composer Byron Smith, and anointed and esteemed musicians Chris R. Jordan and Theresa Jones-Bailey, have taken seriously the command to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” Thusly, the Junior, New Spirit Nation, Voices for Christ and Adult choirs will sing unto the Lord Sunday afternoon.
· Special guests – including the gospel choirs of Ward and Second A.M.E. churches along with New Philadelphia A.M.E. Church, Rancho Domingo. So sought-after are these ensembles that Ward’s choir, for example, was featured on NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”
According to White, the fact that the program is uniquely nestled between Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Day and the start of African American History Month is “an added bonus” as the Church reflects on its own history in the Watts community.
The event also coincides with a planned trip to Atlanta in early February, where White and the aforementioned ministries will present at the Founder’s Day Celebration of Turner Theological Seminary.
Grant A.M.E. Church is located at 10435 South Central Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90002. Services are heard on the radio each Sunday morning at 6 a.m. on KJLH 102.3 FM. Join us for worship on Sundays at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. and for Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday Hour of Power begins at 11:30 a.m. and Thursday night Soul Food starts at 6 pm.
All are welcome; admission is free. For driving directions or for more information visit www.GrantAMEChurch.org or contact the Church office at 323-564-1151.
Contact: Rev. Kevin T. Taylor, Telephone (323) 564-1151
8. A FAMILY TRIBUTE FOR THE REVEREND ALDUSTUS EARL JORDAN, JR. - MARCH 2, 1927 – DECEMBER 28, 2005:
Aldustus Earl Jordan, Jr. was born in Stamford, Connecticut on March 2, 1927 as the first child to the former Mary Elizabeth Brooks and Aldustus Earl Jordan. After residing in Stamford for about one year, the family moved to Jamaica, Long Island, New York. It was in Jamaica that the family was made complete with the birth of Elizabeth, Preston, and Edward. As he grew up, he was called Junior or “June” for short by family and friends.
Education was stressed in the home and Aldustus attended Public School No. 40 and 116. Because of his high scholastic ability, he was eligible for “Rapid Advancement Classes” on the Junior High School level. He was an honor student at Shimer Junior High School and continued to complete the Senior High Curriculum at Brooklyn Automotive Trade School.
He married the former Ernestine Martha Adams and to this union was born five children—Aldustus III, Ernestine Sharon, Ernest, Michael, and Kevin. Many years following the death of Ernestine, he married the former Elaine Crawford and a sixth child was born, Edward (Pookie).
Between seventeen and eighteen years of age, Aldustus received the divine call to preach the word of God and he faithfully accepted and obeyed God’s call. Upon receiving a scholarship, he entered and graduated from Shelton College and National Bible Institute in New York City. Many fruitful and spiritual hours were spent as a member of Allen A.M.E. church in Jamaica with the pastor and mentor Rev. William McKinley Dawkins. In 1947, Aldustus gained admittance into the A.M.E. New York Conference as one of God’s anointed.
Reverend Jordan’s first ministerial appointments were located on Long Island at Trinity A.M.E. Church in Smithtown and Allen A.M.E. Church in Northport. He would hold service at one church in the morning and the other in the afternoon. In 1956, the family left New York where he accepted the pastorate of Ebenezer A.M.E. Church in Rahway, New Jersey for two years. He also served as Secretary for the New Brunswick District, Ministerial Alliance and Secretary to the New Jersey Annual Conference, and as a member of the board of Urban Renewal for the City of Rahway.
In 1958, Reverend Jordan was appointed pastor of Trinity A.M.E. Church in Long Branch, New Jersey. In 1959, he was appointed by then New Jersey Governor Robert B. Meyner as the State’s representative to the City of Long Branch Housing Authority and urban renewal agency and was elected to the position of Vice-Chairman of the Long Branch Housing Authority. In 1961, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Interested Citizens Civic Organization. He was later endorsed by the organization as a candidate for City Council representing Ward 5. In 1963, he received the Citizens Committee Award recognizing outstanding service to City of Long Branch.
In 1965, he became pastor of Bethel A.M.E. Church in Huntington, New York where he quickly emerged as both a spiritual leader and a community organizer. He secured federal funds for the Huntington Community Action Center and became its first director. He is also well known for his “Buck for A Bus Campaign” that raised funds to purchase a new bus for the Huntington Headstart Program. The Summer Camp that he started for the community’s poor children at East Woods School continues to this day.
He would later pastor at Greater Bethel A.M.E. in Harlem, Bethel Tabernacle A.M.E in Brooklyn, and Calvary A.M.E. in Glen Cove. He retired from the active ministry in 2003.
He is survived by his wife Elaine; siblings Elizabeth, Preston, and Edward; six children, Aldustus III, Ernestine Sharon, Ernest, Michael, Kevin, and Edward; six grandsons Aldustus Edward, David, Trevis, Calder, Lloyd (L. J.), and Reed; sister-in-laws Alma and Margie; daughter-in-laws Barbara, Claire, and Rosamund; son-in-law Lloyd James, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, and those who have adopted him as their father.
The life of Reverend A. Earl Jordan is characterized by strong faith in God, love for all humanity, and an unbending commitment to social justice. He was loving, compassionate, and tough when necessary. We celebrate his passing to his final reward and thank him for a job well done.
9. MT. ZION A.M.E CHURCH -CHOSEN WOMEN OF GOD CONFERENCE 2006:
The Women of Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church Of DeLand, Florida will be having our Annual Women Conference
Date:
February 17 thru February 19, 2006
Theme: Women Standing in Unity
Therefore, I the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:1-2
Please come and join us in this great celebration.
Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church
935 South Adelle Avenue
DeLand, Florida
Church Phone#: 386-736-1578
Reverend Grandville Anderson, Pastor
10. NASHVILLE BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ADDS ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Nashville, TN (BlackNews.com) - Darren L. Johnson, author and organization development consultant, who is responsible for leading the Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce through its 2005 organizational redesign, has accepted a position on the Board of Directors for that organization, beginning January 2006.
In a recent interview regarding Johnson's leadership efforts in 2005, Charles Sueing, Chairman of the Nashville Black Chambers Board of Directors stated, "Darren stepped up to the plate and accepted the position of Interim Executive Director, later titled Interim President. He applied his "Inside Out Learning" principles to shape and define the Chamber. Johnson's advice was for the Chamber to cease all activities in 2005 until it was prepared to step out anew. The Board heeded the advice and thus began Johnson's two steps back approach."
According to Sueing, by taking two steps back, the chamber made time to develop and implement a strategy to address [it's] challenges.
As the Interim President, Johnson's strategic leadership effort included a total system redesign of the Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce. He completed an organizational audit, revamped its financial records, re-designed the website (www.nashvilleblackchamber.org), and relocated the office.
According to Johnson, "Taking two steps back was part of an effort to create a new image and position the Black Chamber as an organization that can successfully assist & support Black owned businesses and their partners throughout Nashville."
Johnson also partnered the Chamber with the founders of Coffee Talk Nashville, a networking event that happens every third Thursday morning at Kijiji Coffee House in Nashville.
Although Johnson's contract officially ended on September 7, 2005, he remained in the position until December 31, 2005 to assist the Black Chamber through its transition. He has agreed to be on the Board of Directors beginning in January 2006.
For more information about the Nashville Black Chamber, call 615-876-9634.
InsideOut Learning, Inc. offers organization development consulting and coaching. They are the publishers of the Letting Go of Stuff book and CD series. (www.lettinggoofstuff.com)
11. THE PASTOR’S CORNER - FAN THE FLAME – FAITH:
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you…Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (II Timothy 1: 6 & 2: 15)
The Apostle Paul reminds young Timothy and us to “fan into flame the gift of God that is in [us].” He later describes living a life of sound solid faith as a means of fanning the flame of eternal and abundant life that is ours through Jesus Christ.
The ideal or standard for the Christian life is to secure or gain the approval of God. The order of authority is however often reversed to suggest that it is God’s goal to win the approval of people. It is as though God is simply a blessing dispenser. Faith is then incorrectly taught as a practice through which the believer can manage his or her relationship with God for the purpose of receiving the blessings we desire. Nothing is further from the “TRUTH” (John 14: 6). Paul instructs Timothy, and us “to do our best to present ourselves to God as one approved” by God. In doing so, we “fan into flame the gift of God, which is in [us].” II Timothy 1: 6)
What is it that wins the approval of God? Hebrews 11: 6 tells us faith pleases God because “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Faith is the active belief that God is who God says God is. Let us dissect this definition using Hebrews 11: 6 as our template.
Active – “…because anyone who comes to Him…” To come to God denotes action on our part.
Belief that God is – we “must believe that He exists.” We must not only acknowledge but also trust in His existence. James 2: 19 says, “You believe there is one God. Good! Even demons believe that – and shudder.” And, James 2: 18 adds, “I will show you my faith by what I do.” Our actions must reflect our belief in His existence – that is real faith.
Who God says God is – “He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” We are to focus on knowing God intimately and not just on knowing what God has for us.
What Source Can I Access to Develop Faith? Romans 10: 17 (NIV) tells us, “Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” The message is (Romans 10:9) the proclamation of the finished work of Christ. Jesus is Lord. God raised Him from the dead. And, everyone who calls (Romans 10: 13) on the name of the Lord will be saved. We are saved from sin, guilt and the destructive habits that can rob us of life. Therefore, we are to study and seek the word of God in order to have life.
Fan the flame of eternal life. Fan the flame of abundant life. Attend worship services, weekly. Study and read the word, daily. Because “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Fan the flame!
Pastor James Moody
Quinn Chapel, Chicago
12. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
We regret to inform you of the passing of Rev. Charles McAllister. He was the pastor of Mt. Zion AME Church in Columbia, Pennsylvania (Harrisburg District). The following information has been provided regarding funeral arrangements.
Viewing and Funeral Service– Monday, January 23, 2006
Viewing - 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Service – 11:00 a.m.
Church of Deliverance
201 Bradford Avenue
Downingtown, PA 19335
Funeral Home:
Emmett Golden Hunt Memorial Chapel
427 East Lincoln Highway
Coatesville, Pennsylvania 19320
Funeral – Saturday, January 28, 2006
Service – 1:00 p.m.
St. Phillip AMEZ Church
Acorn Branch Road
Wilmington, North Carolina 28405
French I. Davis Funeral Home
316 North 6th Street
Wilmington, North Carolina 28401
Condolences may be sent to his wife:
The Rev. Patricia McAllister
1193 Glenside Road
Downingtown, PA 19335
Phone: 610-873-0948
Please keep Rev. Patricia McAllister and the family in your prayers
13. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT NOTICE:
From: Presiding Elder Linda F. Thomas-Martin
Our heartfelt love and prayers are extended to the William family as we deeply regret announcing the passing of Reverend John R. Williams. He was known throughout the Church as “JR.”
The Reverend John R. Williams was the retired pastor of Greater St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, Louisville, Kentucky, Presiding Elder emeritus of the West Kentucky Annual Conference under the jurisdiction of the Thirteenth Episcopal District and organist extraordinaire. Reverend Williams passed on January 20th at 12:45 PM.
Funeral service arrangements will be forth coming.
Please remember Sister Helen Williams and family in your prayers.
14. CLERGY FAMILY BEREAVEMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS PROVIDED BY:
Bishop Carolyn Tyler Guidry, Chair
Commission on Social Action Clergy Family Information Center
Mrs. Ora L. Easley - Administrator Email: Amespouses1@aol.com
(Nashville, Tennessee Contact) Phone: (615) 837-9736 Fax: (615) 833-3781
(Memphis, Tennessee Contact) (901) 578-4554 (Phone & Fax)
Please remember these families in your prayers.
15. CONDOLENCES TO THE BEREAVED FROM THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER:
The Chair of the Commission on Publications, the Right Reverend Gregory G. M. Ingram; the Publisher, the Reverend Dr. Johnny Barbour and the Editor of the Christian Recorder, the Reverend Dr. Calvin H. Sydnor III offer our condolences and prayers to those who have lost loved ones. We pray that the peace of Christ will be with you during this time of your bereavement.
